Slack adjuster for railway brakes



llg. 10, 1943. J. ,1 MQBRLDE 2,326,377

SLACK ADJUSTER FOR RAILWAY BRAKES Filed NOV. 8, 1941 teil4 d I# 5# ATTORNEY INVENTOR Patented Aus. 10, 1943 n i ergere mostri-Jaronaanwerven-Aries f .Y I I "gppiieaesgrrevember-e, 194i, seri-amo.418.2827515: fg

Tlisrinvention relatesA to slack 'adjuster/Safor railway brakeA riggingand in1 paitioularto di justers of the type in whichexcessslackdile'f'towear or the brakevshoes is taken 'up by shifting ofthe pivot oftherdeadf cylinderv lever. Shift# ing; of the dread iever pivot servesyto restore "the proper clearance betvvee'nthe Wornlbrake shoesandfl'tie Wheels, 'permitting full applicationV of thebrakes'vvitnnormalf movement `of the brake cylinder"piston.` Y Y A jHeretofore in slack adjusters of this Ytype tbe brakeriggingf has 'beenheld in adjusted position by' means yof gearingirack and pinion orvother ksimilar devices. 'Ihesefo'rtrievmostY part Werelof .complieatedVconstruction, Comprising many parts, and did no'tjprovide for'unifornfr shoe clearance from nevzjt ,completely -Worr Y out brakesnoe, resultinginfunevenlyWorn' brakev shoes; .f1 rthermore,` breakingof va tootlijof the" gears or` rackv in suoli. devices preventedproperoperationv and'V reduced. the effectiveness thereof.. It. is an. object.of" the present invention, there-V fore, "to provide'a slaoliVa'juvstejr ..for railway, brakeV rigginggvhich compriseslbt-ievvessential parts, andlwhicheliminates .the usefof. gelarf. iig,.raokand pinion'for othersuel'devoes. A v A :A furtherl object of. theinvention isthe Dro-- vsion'of aslakiadjuster forfrailwav brakes4vvaiolr` positively providesthe proper amountofk slaokinthe brakerigging. and' insresVV unifo'rnrr` shoe. clearance from .-n'ew'r to..voompletely Worn? outbrake shoe.

A stillhfurther object of tige-invention istliel provision of a slaclYadjuster-for railway-brake. rigging: in which .a cam Inember serves toposiv tively lookthe rigging inladjusted position.`

'miese andr other objetsi off the Vinvention will oe apparentwto"thoseoslilledin the gartfrom a stgdy.-T f rtlfieffollowingI descriptionandaccompam/fing. drawinginwhioh:

:Figure 1 isa sideelevational View of a railvvayf-V ampliar; bracket '4eprovi ioweriiangefoffthe car lor fothef'suirabieifneans 'so truck and.car underframe showingthe krr'vf'erl;v

. tion'appliedfthereto, certain. parts being shovvnf..

inffsejction-tovbetter discloseithefbrake rigging; 45 Fig: 2isanrenlarged sectional"vieWshoWing' the slack 'adjuster inYoperativezpo sition; Fig; ,3 adjuster.taken-substantially'on the line 33 ofi Fig. is a pian View of the slack adjustertaken. substantially ontheline 4 4 of 'l"ig.f;fv

^ Fig. 5. is a sectional viewrsimilar to Fig.l limiti"v showing .theslaekiadjuster inl released''position1; 5 Fig; isaside View'of'the slackadjus'ter'showel" isi an end viewof the improved slack.`

Y clearly 'Shown 'in' Fig; 3. 5o

i of the' 4live; lever end of theo-Cai? to be'aajustaiy heidfmby thedevice now tobedesoribed.

vNeWJersey ing the:` rise `of a vved'ge to' -assistinlm thepartslnadjusted position, and- I Figi" 7L iszaltopplanviewof..`tl1e:device` sliuvvn"Y in Fig:Vl 6', Iparts vthereof beingf`brokena'way Ltoy better'disolose the.cons'tructiorr.` Nfl'. 1 'Referringnow `more particularly to. the draw" -ing,'the inventionmayjbeused'withianysiiitable f design'oftruck; suclflfasthatshown';ini;Fig.J-1;.. v which oompri'sesjsideframes2ffsupportdf by'l journalboxesfon Wneela'n'tlA aide assemblies 6 .5 Thev track/side.frames rare' as 'oor'me'rfed'; together by f a s'pfring{ijlaiikf` 8"`.andl supper-tl` the truck? bolstei'vi-U whiel in turnfsupports the' oaroen/ter sill' I2' 'thrugh'oenter bearinglLfBrake other'means I3 providedon'fth'e tru" T' 'de'frarrfilgsf the"'brakehangersibeing'pivotally theirIOWerend'stObraIe Heads Z'vvli iier'cted Lto Atrsslty brakibeani'sgbrakefslioesl. f l 'n m The brake rigging comprises ai liv 'ai dead`1eVe Z3 fpivotallyoonnt intermediate 'portions t' endl portion ispivotally onneetedftrrough Vt e medium pf' jaw :se and' iaihsjartd theripper o '261 Ah Operating diane.. i rod 40 i's pivotall'yconnected atone end through 'javvandpiri Ml'ttlie--upperendf deadflev nandl extendsforwardly ytovvards tv 'dj on'tj were@ 01""base-fportion' 481 .byf

'tends through theianchofbraketfae andfigsiidably supportedadjacentitslforwa'rdfendf ort'ionk by the'zmember gthef*rodlftrmiiatmgaintainirigK4 rotatably mounted the bracket 4G between the portions.V 121 the sidegcfltne @am spaced Walls`52 thereof by means Yof Yapivot or nfulcrum pin 62 passing through the cam member tive in action.

and being slidably arranged', in vertical slots 64' f formed inthebracket side walls. The cam member risbored so vas yto providea drivingt for the: pivot pin 62, the latter being inserted through l thesidewall slots and cam member after the;

`cam -zmemberl has Abeen setinposition in the Y l anchor bracket'. thebracket wall slots v6l! and cam member 60 are I 'The size vandarrangement'of slack in the brake rigging dueto excess wear of thebrakes shoes, it is only necessary to pull anchor rod 40 to the fullextent of its movement towardthe forward end fof the car. This re-l Ymoves all slack in the brakeriggin'g, and upon suchras to permit thebearing surface 66 `of the f' cam member to be always in engagement withthe anchorrod. It will thusrbe seen that the cam member'is rotatablymountedlinbracket 45 y on a verticallyshiftable pivot, and being 'in conf tact at all times with the ,anchor rod, will be roi `tated uponmovement of the latter in either direc- .f tion.l .Pulling of. anchorrod 4!towards theend Y, Y of-the 'carv to the limit of its Amovement-acts to remove all slack-in the brake 1. riggingpwhile ro-4 tating cammember'V BDLcOunter-clockwise;:to redirection to provideLthdproperamountlof slack Y inY the rigging; the .cam member'V being rotatedclockwise during :this cperationintowedging engagement with the rodwhereby to lock the same inf adjustedposition. The contour ofthe `cambearing surface 1h66 isof'such shapeand thewall slotstl yso arranged asto permit =only apre-y determined limited movementci thefanchor rodbefore it isA locked in adjusted position byfthe wedgingactionof the`cam toprovide the proper. amountxof slackinthe brake. rigging. It willbe seen that whenythe vcam member is rotated intoVwedgingmpositionwiththe anchor: rod a powerfulfllward thrust isexertedo'npivot pin 62,forcingit hardp'upnagainst thestopsvfof .wallslots; 64,' vthus `preventing further vertical shifting-ofthe I cam vandvconsequently ,any further movement of the anchor rod.Toincreaseifthebinding action @team member @menthe anchor rod; when'inthe, locked positiomcarborundum; emery or some `'other similar ,crxfirseabrafSYe :materialmayg be. g .cast into the cambearingsurface 65.2. `Thechang. inefpeitionscf thezarlhorzred 4.0591316 JC0 .Sii/ingeinemovements 0f the truck; andsvhenV the ear lis Y rounding a g, curveare permitted withoifit` injury to the mechanism by reaso`n -ofY the4-divergingf loweribracket wall portions Y54h ,A flat spring 63` securedto the under Ms furface orbracket base,r

4portion 34,8 constantllr g)1r-,ges `cam' member.; 5B to` t0..rlslrercontnuoll afTCQDal CQntactY between thecam-nd anchonrroddurngOperation of the device. t, Y Y. l I

, In `the slight Y in Figs. 1 tofslexcept thatthe Spacedlsideyvalls5210i anchor bracket 46 fare extended to provide i in. i-whih, are;fermedfregtepcniar openings 14: The wedge member 1li-g isf-insertedmemberenes beenA f icationshown in Figs. 6 and 7 Ya wedge 'memberAmisused to aid-inthe locking of oamhmemberjs in"v adj'ustedzposition.The modified construction isthesame as that@shown` pushing the anchorrod as far as it will go in the opposite direction a predeterminedamount oiEV i slack 'is restored inA the kbrakerigging without With thedesign of Figs. Gand 7, of course, it would be necessary to rst removethe wedge meinberand then replace it after adjustment of the slack;however, the operation is the same in val1 other respectsA and apredetermined amount of slack is positively and automatically obtainedin'the brakerigging. '.1 ,l

f; The invention has been shown and described s more orless in detailbut various changes in the forni and proportions of the parts will beobvious to .those skilled-in the artv and all such 4,changes leasedposition..v .-WithY all ofthe slackremoved Y the anchor rod; is nowpushed in the, opposite are contemplated as ywillcome.,vsnithin thescope of thefollowingclaims. Y f 1 y ,What is-claimedf is:

' v 1.; A slack adjuster iorrailway car brake `riggingomprising ananchor Ybracket fixed *relative walls' having slots formed therein, ananchor I.

-rod pivotallyconnected at"one end with the brake vrigging yand havingits "other endportion slidably supported in'said bracket, andla vcammember rotatably mounted in saidbracket on slidable 'n'said slots andfrictionally en' an axis Y gagingf said `anchor ro Y 3,' Aslackadjusterfor 'railway carbrake rigging comprising, anj anchor,bracketffixedj relative to the car 'and being provided withy sidewalls,

slots `formed;'in-said sidevrzwalls.ananchor rod pivotally'connectedv atonefendiwith `the brake rigging and having its otherfendzportionslidably supported in-'said bracket, a camvwmember ro'- tatably'mountedin said bracket on an axis slidi able in said slots', and resilientmeans constantly f rotatably mounted in said bracket `o-n a pivot pinwedged in locked position Tand driven ,up against j4 held againstlosshbylprovision-of `a chain'lt'contothe .wedge memberand to onegof theextendedfawallportions11?."I f

. From the foregoing it will 'Uster has been provided which is Abi1-simple memberto retain Iit positively;

lockediin such position. vThefwedge `memberis be sen that@ Slack yetstrong construction, easyto operate and'posifjurging Ysaidcamv'mem'berwinto frictionall engagement with"said"anchcrrod.

"4i A slack adjuster'for railway ca'brake rigging comprising an'anchorbracket fixed relative to thecar, said bracketbeing provided with' sidewalls having slots formed therein, lan anchor rod pivotally connected'at one en d with the brakev rigging and having its otherend portion'slidably supported in said bracket,"and a camjmember f slidable insaidslotsjisaid cam'member'being rotatable into wedgingtengagement-withsaid rod upon limited movementoi lthe latter in one direc-Y tion, andsaidvbr'acket being additionally pro-v vided with openings in the sidewalls thereof' adapted to receive wedge'meansy therethrough to position.l Y

5. A slack adjuster for railway Vcar brake rig Y ging comprising ananchor-'bracket xed relative Ytothe car and beingprovided with sidewalls, 'Slots formed npsad side walls, an anchor rod When-it is desiredto adjust the further attention on ther part ofthe operator.,

positively lock said cam member infwedging pivotally connected at oneendvvith Ythe rigging and having its other end portion slid- `ablysupported in said bracket, and a cam member mounted'in said bracket forrotation onV an aXis sldable in said slots and frictionally en,-

gaging said anchor rod, said cam member being so formed and arranged asto permit'move'ment of said rod in one drectionto remove allslaok Y fromsaid brake rigging and to Wedgingly lock said rod upon movement of thelatterin the op-v posite direction in a position'providing a preydetermined amount of slack in said brake rigging.v

6. A slack adjuster for .railway car vbrake rigfging comprisingv ananchor bracket x'edrelative to the car andprovided with side Walls,vslots formed in said side Walls, an anchor rod pivotally connected atone end with the brake rigging 'and having its other end Vportionslidably supported Yin -said bracket, said'anohor rodvbeing movable inone direction `toremove all slackffrom rsaid v:brake rigging, and means'for adjusting said brake rigging toV a predeterminedslackcomprising acam member rotatablymountedyin. said l bracket on an axis slidablev insaid slotsand f adapted lto Wedg'ingly engage said frod upon movementthereof inthe opposite direction to locksaid rod in adjusted position.-

Vother end 'portion directly .supported by j said.

Vbracket in frictional engagement,therewithfand I f adapted to be'slidable relative'rthereto,- and a* Y, cam memberrotatablyV mounted inVsaid bracket` v f and adapted to `we dginglyengage Vsaid anchor Y rodIbetween theicarnV and `bracketto lock the'V samef against movement '7.VA slack adjuster yfor t railway; carv vbrake rigffging comprising ananchor'` bracket vfixed relative j tor-the canan anchor'rodpivotallyjconnectedatY one.V endv/ithA the brake `rigging andhavingits-'j

